The 53-year-old Mizrahi, who guided Ashdod the past four seasons, returns to the club where he starred for 14 years. Mizrahi, who played a key role in Beitar's first league championship in 1987, also won four state cups with the club.

``(Beitar) is the club where I grew up and played for most of my career,'' Mizrahi said. ``With this move I have come full circle, and I intend to guide this club to the championship, but there is still plenty of work to be done.''

Ardiles coached Beitar only since August, putting together a record of 3-1-1 in league play. He was fired Monday after increased pressure because of Beitar's early exit from the UEFA Cup, 2-1 on aggregate to Romania's Dinamo Bucharest.

This will be Mizrahi's third stint as Beitar's coach, following brief spells in the 1993-4 season and 2001-2.